A rendering of Airbus A350-1000s in Riyadh Air livery.
LE BOURGET: Riyadh Air announced a firm order for up to 25 Airbus A350-1000s plus purchase rights for an additional 25.
The deal, signed this week at the Paris Air Show, will further grow Riyadh Air’s fleet. The new Saudi Arabian carrier, which plans to make its first flight later this year, has previously ordered 60 Airbus A321neo narrowbodies and 39 Boeing 787-9 widebodies.
Deal value and delivery dates for the A350s were not revealed. They will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, the sole-source engine for the A350. Riyadh Air signed deals with Rolls for those engines and for a Rolls TotalCare maintenance support package while at the show.
“This [A350] order marks a significant step forward in building a world-class airline that reflects the ambitions of [the Saudi government’s] Vision 2030,” Riyadh Air CFO Adam Boukadida said.
Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas and chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, as well as Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO Christian Scherer and Airbus EVP commercial aircraft sales Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, were at the Paris signing ceremony.
“Our new national carrier is set to take to the skies in the near future, and as a fundamental element of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure, will connect our capital city to over 100 international destinations around the globe by 2030,” Al-Rumayyan said.
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